Let me preface this with the fact that I am SO excited to be pregnant. It took us 1.5 years to conceive our DD, and that was after 8 months of fertility treatments. We very much want another baby and were going to start trying in 6 months when I would qualify for FMLA at my new job. This pregnancy was a surprise and feels like a small miracle but also has me worried about the impact it will have on the rest of my career.

I JUST accepted a new job and will be starting when I'm almost 3 months pregnant if all goes well and we move across the country around the same time. I was already worried about how demanding the new job would be and the late hours. I worked really hard to get this job, and I am worried that I won't be able to leave a positive enough impression after only 6 months of work to return to it after my (unpaid, un-FMLA protected) maternity leave, but am also not willing to short change my leave (I took 4 months with my first and wouldn't want to take any less.) It's a profession dominated by older men, and I'm worried about the impression I will be making while being more exhausted, having to take long lunches for dr. appointments, and having "mommy brain." I'm also worried about my chances to network etc. (it's a small industry) given all of this and the new time crunch. I'm worried I'll be searching for a new job soon and am worried about having to explain the short tenure. I'm sure some of this is just the shock and me processing, but I would love some words of encouragement or even straight talk with action items right now. Thank you!